Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-10-08
The CURSE OF The CASTLE.
BY E1nloSs BAIRD.

and the servants repeated it; and that
was how they had the news at the
Golden Dragon" and all over the vii
lage before night
How it happened was a mystery. but
there was no denying it. If any of the
noble folks at the SchwartZberg were
going to die, something in the castle
was sure to fall with no human hand
near-no lOOphole for explaining why
the crash should come before the death,
and not at any other time. The omen
had begun again in these days, after a
lapse of a century. The old kelner's
father, who had kept the keyslong ago,
had told strange tales about 1t. be
had only heard them in his youth, but
they We're very strange tales, and the
Golden Dragon" and the village IN
general decided that they We're not to
be explained away. But it was much
more satisfactory when at the present
time the evil omen began to show itself
again. 1t was no grandmOther's story
now, but a reality. The gossip and ex-
element went on with shudders and
whispers; it was so pleasant to have
something to shudder about. Why, if
nobody had died after the great stays
head fell in the hall, the Golden
Dragon" would have been downright
sorry.
But as it happened, the little boy
the old baron's grandson and heir-fell
on the Black Mountain the very day
after, and broke his neck. That was
only three months ago. And now the
great mirror in the tapestried drawing
room had fallen. 1t was certainly the
old baron that was to 60 of this time.
The village waited, breathless, to know.
Home went Fritz Hartmann with the
news on the Saturday night. He was
in q worse humOr than usual: that is
saying a great deal for Fritz Hartmann.
for he was the blacklist man In the vii
lage; and who he was or what he was
thinking Of was all mystery.
Flowers, fatherl" said the little
bright-haired child, wanting to be
noticed.
eco to bedl" said Hartmann, and
dropped the flowers and kicked them
away.
ANY news?" his buxom, good
humored wife asked. The blacklist
mood Fritz could be in was never toe
black to stop her smile; many a gather.
ing thunderstorm was laughed of by
Martha.
why should there be news" he
said, savagely, hinging his coat aside
and throwing himself on a seat, witt
his hat still on. Love in a cottage has
many drawbacks, and his absence o.
manners is one Of them.
The brisk and buxom Martha popped
the child into bed, and began to max,
Fritz's supper hot. There was no feal
in her nature, and a great deal o
curiosity.
az wanted to hear about the poor
dear old baron, said Martha.
"He is dying, they say" growleC
Fritz.
"Ohl Poor old mani"
"Why?" said the husband HE pal,
US for my bit Of carving. What nee5
we care?
Eyes, we should care, my wicked oil,
Fritz"-shaking him by the shoulder
"If poor man died, said Fritz
@they would shovel him into the groun,
and forget him. Why should not tn
rich die too? He has the govt; ]
would be q comfort to the old fellow
die.
Martha had prayed that he might no
die for many year, govt or no govt
he had been so good to her long age
when her parents died, and she wa
taken to the castle to feed the chicken
and the ducks in the yard.
Fritz did a bit of Woodworking a
we'll as his daily work. Tourists bOugh
his carving in summer; it was bough
at the castle too. He had carried hi
brackets and frames to the Schwartz
berg Castle so often, that he was fire
Of the servants hall any day, and whe
he took the carved chair on Thursday
the baron had made him bring it int
the library with his own hands. Itwa
ungrateful of Fritz to be glad that tn
poor old baron was dying; but the
Fritz was always growing at tn
castle folks, and grumbling at his ow
poverty.
After supper he went ont to tn
Golden Dragon" and lolled with tn
idlers on the benches outside the inl
He was not a man for speaking 30 tn
others; he had the name of being q
proud as Satan, but he listened wit
his arms folded, and the corners of hi
dark eyes watching everything. Their
was no reason that the baron shout
die because the mirror fell, he said
was all nonsense. He was the Onl
man in the village that disbelieved /
the omen of the SchwartZberg Castle
When the notary passed-the Oh
man with long black hair-he bowed t
Hartmann. 1t was queer thing that tn
notary always bowed TO Hartmann, tn
working man Sometimes Hartman
even went to supper with him-Whic
was a queerer thing still
IL
Up at the mountain castle, the Ion
tapestried drawing-room was dimly
lighted and the great, round, broker
mirror lay untouched upon the floor
The granddaughter of the baron wa.
there with friend from Geneva, the
young lawyer, Ludwig Schmidt
friend, and more than a friend Berthi
was in the first blush and beauty o.
girlhoOds fair and pink, with soft blue
German eyes, and curls too rich to be
haIen. She was letting Ludwig Gu
one little curl with her pretty head
bent for the robbery. The shadow o.
death doomed over her home again
while she was still wearing a mourning
gown for her boy brother; so, though
they were lovers even to the sweef
folly Of giving a love-locl, they could
not be very hght-hearted tonight.
And why not have the broken mirror
taken away ?" the young lawyer OIL
Lelpsic asked. There is no room fol
superstition in the legal and logical
mind.
at is in-Iuck for whoever touches II. .
said Bertha with a blush; but she
could not get him to believe such fool
ishness- He put the Iove-loclz in the
innermost recess Of his pOoket-bOok,
and then with his own hands, gathered
the ruins of the mirror on to a table
rang for a servant TO take them away
out Of everybody's sight.
III.